Piano-action



(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

A. DE POE DIMIOK.

PIANO ACTION.

No. 472,109. Patented Apr. 5,1892.

(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

A. DE POE DIMIGK.

PIANO ACTION. No. 472,109. Patented Apr. 5, 1892.

/IQ\U Attestflflanzvr' ywfi W @Jkom UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

AUGUSTUS DE FOE DIMIOK, OF IVAKEFIELD, MASSACHUSETTS.

PIANO-ACTION.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 472,109, dated April 5,1892.

Application filed October 13, 1891. Serial No. 408,600. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, AUGUSTUS DE Fon DIM- ICK, a citizen of the UnitedStates, residing at Wakefield, in the county of Middlesex and State ofMassachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inPiano-Actions; and Ido hereby declare the following to be a full, clear,and exact description of the invention, such as will enable othersskilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

The invention has for its object to improve the action patented to meJuly 22, 1890, in Letters Patent of that date, No. 432,516, withparticular reference to the capability of the mechanism of the actionfor quick repetition of the stroke of the hammer.

In the present improvement I retain the sliding or endwise-movin g jack,which is a feature of my former invention, and while the samegeneral arrangement of the parts is preserved I have altered theconstruction and manner of actuating some of the parts, and therebyimproved the operation of the same, increasing the general efliciency ofthe action, and especially as to its repeating qualities.

In the annexed drawings, forming a part of this specification, Figures 1and 2 are side elevations of the action, the parts being represented indifferent positions. Figs. 3 and 4 are details showing the parts in thesame positions, respectively, as in Figs. 1 and 2, the arrangement ofthe hammer-check and buffer being slightly different from that in theother figures, and the manner of operating the damper-lever being alsodifferent.

Similar letters of reference denote corresponding parts in the differentviews.

Referring to Figs. 1 and 2, A denotes the key, and B the hammer, thelatter being pivoted to the action-rail O in the usual manner.

D indicates the jack, which is made substantially straight, and isarranged to slide or move endwise like the jack in my former patentedaction.

E is the damper-lever, pivoted between its ends on the action-rail. Theconstruction and manner of mounting this lever are the same as generallyemployed in this class of actions, but the manner of actuating the leverhereinafter described I believe to be novel.

F and G denote,respectively, the hammer and damper check rails common toall actions of this sort, and f and g are the respective springs for thehammer and damper. The hammer has the ordinary butt I), shouldered andpadded, as usual, and pivoted to the action-rail in the ordinary manner.The stem of the hammer, instead of being constructed of wood, asheretofore, is made of gutta-percha, hard rubber, celluloid, or otheranalogous substance not affected by changes in temperature. Theconnection between the key and the endwise-moving jack is a pivotal one,and is preferably made bya slip-joint to a rocker on the key; but it maybe connected to the key by any other pivotal connection desired.

In Fig. 1,0, is a rocker seated upon a piece of hard wood let into theupper surface of the key. The rocker is made adjustable to accuratelyregulate the length of the jack by means of screws 0. A spring d isfixed upon the rocker and bears near its upper end against the frontside of the jack to hold the same up to its work.

The jack-trip in the present improvement is carried by the key, and inthe construction shown in the drawings I have represented it as composedof a post or rod J, rising from the key in rear of the jack and adaptedto engage a stop on the jack at the proper moment to trip the latter.This stop may be of any form of construction preferred and may beadjustable or not. In the arrangement shown herein I make use of theordinary regulatingbutton 8, passing through the jack. Although I haveshown the stop or button on the jack, it is obvious that it might belocated on the post or rod J.

As before described, the damper-lever is of the ordinary construction.Instead of operating it in the old way, however, I connect it with theendwise-moving jack, as shown in the several views, wherein I indicatesa lever, which I term the damper-actuating lever. It is pivoted to theaction-rail and either has an extension passing through a slot in thejack, as represented in Figs. 1 and 2, or has its front end arranged tobear upon a shoulder h, formed by cutting away the jack on the rearside, as shown in Figs. 3 and 4. In the construction shown in Figs. 1and 2, where the lever-extension passes through a slot in the jack, aprojection t is preferably formed on the front side of the jack for thepurpose of securing as long a leverage on the actuatinglever aspossible.

The method of operating the hammer is the same as in my former patent,except that in the present instance I provide a repeatingspringconnection between the jack and the hammer-butt to prevent the hammerfrom falling while the jack is being restored to place. Any sort ofspring connection may be used, though I prefer that shown in thedrawings, and consisting of the bent -wire springr, secured to the upperend of the jack, and the flexible cord 25, connecting the free end ofthe spring with the hammer-butt.

My present improvement contemplates two ways of arranging thehammer-check, in each of which, however, the check is operated-by thesliding jack. In the form of damper-operating mechanism shown in Figs. 1and 2 I mount the check L on the damperactuating lever, the wire.rod dotthe leverI being bent upward in front of the jack into proper positionrelative to the hammer-butt to co-operate with the buffer. In Figs. 2and 4, where the damper-operating lever has no extension through or pastthe jack, I mount the hammer-check directly on the jack, it being shownas fixed on the upper end of a pin or wire rod extending up from anolfset on the jack.

0 denotes the buffer, carried in each of the above instances by thehammer. In Figs. 1 and 2 it is mounted (adjustably, if desired) on theouter end of a projection P, and is arranged to act upon the rear sideof the hammer-check, while in Figs. 2 and 4, though it is mounted on thesame projection, it is differently shaped and is arranged, as shown,

so as to act on the opposite or-front side of the check.

The jack is provided near its upper end with a shoulder S, whichco-operates with the shouldered butt of the hammer. The end of the jackis extended up in front of the butt, as shown, to afford a proper pointof attachment for the spring connection between the jack and the hammer.A further object of this extension is to form a guide for the upper endof the jack, which is accomplished by slotting the extension, asindicated in dotted lines in all'the figures, and passing the projectionP from the hammer-butt through the slot.

From the foregoing description the operation of the mechanism will bereadily understood. The first position, or the position of rest, isillustrated in Fig. 1, and the position of the parts immediately after astroke is shown in Fig. 2. The depression of the key causes the jack toslide or move endwise, as in my previous invention, freeing the damperfrom the string and throwing the hammer forward to deliver the blow. Atthe same time the jack carries the hammer-check into posi-.

key is released, the jack falls and the spring d acts on its front sideto restore its shoul dered upper end to place under the shoulder of thehammer-butt. The jack-spring is assisted in this action by the springconnection r t between the upper end of the jack and the hammer-butt.

Were not some provision made to hold the hammer up and prevent it fromfalling as the jack is restored to place, it would drop back onto thecheck-rail and prevent the quick repetition of the stroke. Therepeating-spring connection rt etfectually prevents this and holds thehammer balanced While the key goes down and thejack is being returned toplace for another stroke, permitting great rapidity in the repetition ofthe stroke of the hammer with a half or less than half dip of the key.

I do not wish to be understood as limiting myself to the details hereinshown, nor to the use of the whole number of parts, as obviously changesmay be made in the. construction and arrangement of the parts withoutdeparting from the spirit of the invention, and some of the parts usedwithout others.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secureby Letters Patent, is

1. In a piano-action,the combination of the key, a sliding orendwise-moving jack pivotally connected therewith at its lower end, anda jack-spring fixed at its lower end on the key and bearing at its freeupper end on the jack, substantially as described.

2. In a piano-action,the combination of the key, an adjustable rockerthereon, a sliding or endwise-moving jack pivotally connected thereto,and a jack-spring fixed upon the rocker and bearing at its free end onthe front side of the jack, substantially as described.

3. In apiano-action, the combinationof the key,an adjustable rockerthereon,an endwisemoving jack pivotally connected at its lower end withthe rocker, a jack-spring fixed upon the rocker and hearing at its freeend upon the front side of the jack, and a jack-trip carried by the keyand co-operating with an adjustable stop on the jack, substantially asde scribed.

4. In a piano-action, the combination of-the key, the hammer, anendwise-moving jack having an extension at its upper end in front of thehammer-butt and being pivotally connected with the key at its lower endand free at its upper end, a pivoted damper-actuating lever, and aconnection between the latter and the jack, substantially as described.

5. In a pianoaction,the combination of the key, an endwise-moving jack,ahammer, and a pivoted hammer-check actuated by the jack, substantiallyas described.

6. In a piano-action, the combination of the key, an endwise-movingjack, a hammer having a buffer projecting from its butt, and a pivotedhammer-check actuated by the jack, substantially as described- 7. In apiano-acti0n,the combination of the key, an endwise-moving jackpivotally connected with and supported by the key, a pivoted damper-actuating lever, a hammer-check carried by the lever, and aconnection between the jack and the lever, substantially as described.

8. In a piano-action, the combination of a sliding or endwise-movingjack, a pivoted hammer check, and a connection between them, whereby thecheck is operated by the jack, substantially as described.

9. In a piano-action, the combination of the key, the hammer, anendwise-moving jack, and a spring reacting between the hammer and thejack to prevent the hammer from falling while the jack is returning toplace.

10. In a piano-action, the combination of the hammer having a shoulderedbutt, an endwise-moving jack having a shoulder at its upper end, anextension of the jack in front of the hammer-butt, and a guideprojection from the hammer-butt acting on the exten sion, substantiallyas described.

11. In a piano-action, the combination of the hammer having theshouldered butt, an endwise-moving jack having a shoulder and anextension in front of the butt, and a spring connection between the hammer-butt and the extension, substantially as described.

12. In a piano-action, the combination of a pivoted hammer, a sliding orendwise-moving jack, and a repeating-spring connection between thehammer and the jack, arranged and operating as and for the purposedescribed.

13. In a piano-action, the combination of the hammer, a projection fromthe hammer-butt carrying a buffer, and a hammer-check pivoted to theaction-rail and actuated by the jack, substantially as described.

14. In a piano-action, the combination of a pivoted hammer, a sliding orendwise-nlovin g jack, a repeating-spring carried by the jack, and aflexible connection between the spring and the hammer, arranged andoperating substantially as described.

15. In a piano-action, the combination of the hammer, a jack foroperating the same, and a repeating-spring connection between the jackand the hammer-butt for preventing the hammer from falling while thejack is being restored to place and facilitating repetition of thestroke, substantially as described.

16. In a piano-action, the combination of the hammer, the sliding orendwise-moving jack, and a guide for the jack projecting from thehammer-butt to support the upper end of the jack and to prevent asidewise movement of the same, substantially as described.

17. In a piano-action, the combination of the hammer having a shoulderedbutt, a sliding or endwise-moving jack having a shoulder near its upperend, a hammer-check operated by the jack, and a buffer carried by aprojection from the hammer-butt, said projection acting as a guide forthe upper end of the jack, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I affix mysignature in presence of two Witnesses.

AUGUSTUS DE FOE DIMICK.

\Vitnesses:

J. A. GoLDsBoRoUeH, PERCY B. IIILLS.

